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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · mouse · wake · bass · bound · fine · cold · rock

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. bass — low music
  23. fine — all right
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com